On my first time wearing waders I fell in the water, my waders filled up, and there was a real risk I could have suffered tragic consequences.
Many people are not aware of the dangers presented by the action of wading as well as by wearing waders, which can trap wader and weigh you down. Last year I did a post about wading safety, with several videos produced by Simms ages ago – you can watch the videos here. But, I think this is a topic that deserves more frequent coverage; after all there are always people who will be wearing waders for their first time, and if the topic of wading safety is not on top of their newsfeed they may not know the things to look for.
In this episode of the Tenkara Cast I talk a bit about some basics of keeping safe while wading.

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5 Responses to Wading Safety podcast

Nice job, as usual, Daniel. I always wondered what the deal was with wading belts!

I snagged a wading staff with my Kebari a few months ago, pulled it out, gave thanks there wasn’t a fisherman attached, restored it, and have been using it. Game changer! I’m in my mid 50s and notice that, despite regular yoga, which helps, my fine balance is fading. I spend a lot of time fishing alone in remote canyons. It’s just a good idea, and much easier to handle (with Tenkara) than I had thought.

I’ve been wading in hiking/wading boots (Simms Vapors), which I love. If I can get away with it, I wear shorts. If I need more warmth or protection, I wear neoprene chest waders with sock feet in my boots. Great for hiking and scrambling. And they don’t fill with water!

Steve, good point on neoprene waders. I have just never worn them but they can be warmer too. Although I think unless they are very fitted, which would be hard to put on, they would take water in. However, they are somewhat buoyant so I think it would be a wash. I suspect I may pick up wading staff at some point. Glad you found one.

You are right, they would probably fill to some extent if I got in over the tops, which would be high on my chest. But I think they would take a while to fill, as they are comfortably snug. I will have to test this some hot day in a safe situation!

Great show as always and thanks for all you do. Just wanted to throw out a suggestion for a show. Wouldn’t mind hearing your thoughts on Czech and French nymphing. The guys from England have a great email series they’re doing, but to be honest I get a little lost in the explanations. Would be cool to hear your thought about it. Is it really all that different than what people’s ‘normal’ tenkara techniques? Are there aspects of those techniques that are useful that can maybe be folded into a person’s everyday approach? Just a thought. All the best.